Originally printed October 23, 2019.
Last Wednesday, I made a trip to Lincoln County for two days of hiking on October 17th and 18th. The colors were brilliant as I sped north, and I looked forward to two days of hiking in primo autumn conditions. The weather forecast was excellent. It shaped up to be a couple of great days on the trail. I arrived in plenty of time to scout the road to the end point of Thursday’s hike. Ultimately, this road will be part of a ten mile connecting route that I most likely will hike in January. As with most connecting routes, a major chunk of it will be two lane county highway. However, the last mile along Horn Lake Road was even more rustic – a two lane dirt road framed on both sides by deep woods. This preview of things to come was very appealing.
After checking this out, I made a short drive into Merrill and checked in to the Econo Lodge, a fairly basic-but-clean motel just off 51. The number#1 rated restaurant in the area per Trip Advisor, Los Mezcales, was a short walk away. After a fine dinner, I prepared for the next day’s hike, texted Jane and hit the hay after a glass of wine.
On Thursday morning, I was up at six. After a quick breakfast, I was on my way to meet Ruby, my trail angel. I was surprised to find another hiker there. Jackie was planning an out-and-back hike of the Underdown Segment. If she rode along with us, she could cut 6 miles off her hike. So, the three of us piled into Ruby’s truck and we started for my drop off at the north end of the Alta Junction Segment. As I was getting my pack on, I realized that I had left my phone in my car. Part of me wanted to just do the hike sans the phone, but I decided against that. That phone is my lifeline to Jane when I’m hiking. So, I sheepishly asked if we could return to my car. Ruby agreed, and we made the return trip. On the way, we dropped off Jackie at the east end of the Underdown Segment so she could start her hike. Then we continued so I could retrieve my phone. Not a good start to my day.
On the way to the car, Ruby mentioned that we had driven past the road to the infamous Lincoln Hills School. Ruby had occasion to meet some of residents who were allowed to go on supervised outings on good behavior. We both agreed that it is probably better for these young offenders to be housed closer to their families. Soon, gratefully, we returned to the starting point for my hike. After a heartfelt thanks and apology, I got started. It was just after 9:00. It was 42 degrees and cloudy. I had lost a half hour plus in the process.
The first segment was Alta Junction, a 1.2 mile southeasterly hike that was mostly flat. The majority of the trail follows a rail grade built in 1908 that was part of the Milwaukee Road. I could actually see old railroad ties in the ground. Near the southern end of the segment, the terrain became more hilly before descending to County J. As I approached the end of the trail, I saw an arrow on a sign pointing to the left. I found this confusing because it didn’t square with my map. But, I deferred to the signage and turned north. It took me over a half mile, but I realized I was going the wrong way. This hike was not getting off to a good start! I was wasting time. Ultimately, I completed the 1.2 connecting route and entered the 6.3 mile Underdown Segment at its eastern end. I looked forward to a meandering walk in a basically southwesterly direction.
Alta Junction is rated a “2” for hilliness. Underdown is rated a “5” – the maximum. In case I wondered what laid behind that rating, the segment showed me why within less than a quarter mile when it began a steep ascent through a forest of mostly white birch trees. Unlike the other trees I saw on the hike, the leaves were mostly gone from the birches. But, the roller coaster up-and-down of the hills remained with me for the balance of the hike.
Within a mile, I came upon the homestead site of this segment’s namesake, Bill Underdown. Just the foundation of his homestead remains, roughly the size of a small garage. From what I was able to read, Mr. Underdown (1855-1943) was quite a character, and all sorts of stories grew about him , some true and some fanciful. The following link provided me the most information about this colorful man: https://thunderdown12.blogspot.com/2010/06/life-of-bill-underdown.html.
Shortly after passing the homestead, I came to an intersection with what I thought was an ATV trail. The ATV cut across my path, and was fairly wide – roughly 8 feet – and went down and then up in a V shape. It appeared that some 4x4s were cut into two foot lengths and buried into the incline and decline like railroad ties to aid in maintaining footing. It looked as this was a clear case of staying on the trail, crossing the the ATV trail and continuing on the straight and narrow – except there was no yellow blaze on the other side of the intersection. I’ve learned my lesson. If there is no yellow blaze, return to the last spot where yellow blaze can be found. I crossed the intersection again, looked carefully for yellow blaze, and returned. I must have done this four times before it occurred to me to turn to my right, and – voila! – there was a yellow blaze.
More time wasted.
The trail continued for a good three miles winding its way up and down through dense forests. No matter the type of forest – birch, pines, maple trees or hemlocks – the country was beautiful, and I took lots of pictures. It was hard choosing a picture that accurately captured the beauty of the day, but the lake scene above comes close.
When I finished my hike, I have to admit to being frustrated. Between forgetting my phone and turning the wrong way on the connecting route, I really shot myself in the foot. The multiple times I had to back up to find the correct trails didn’t help matters, either. The trails are tough enough, even when they are easy to follow. Fact is, I feel I have moved up several levels of difficulty since I entered Langlade County. But the unforced errors are really maddening. While I was at it, I also had a conversation with myself about the clock. Lately I have become more aware of the clock. Some of that is due to my unforced errors. I don’t want to hike unconcerned about time, but I don’t want to be too clock conscious, either. That is a great way to get frustrated in a hurry. I know I am rambling here, but I think I will enjoy my hikes more if I quit shooting myself in the foot and if I set more realistic goals.
My Days on the Ice Age Trail 